The present invention relates generally to an optical article for playback in a player. More specifically, the invention relates to combining pre-mastered errors and printed marks or spots on an optical article.
The popularity of optical articles or optical storage devices, such as compact discs (CD) and digital versatile discs (DVD), has grown rapidly since its introduction. When compared to other competitive storage media types, the accessibility of data, fidelity, low manufacturing cost, reduced size and other features have made optically-readable media, such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, an overwhelming choice for manufacturers and users alike. As a result, a great variety of information may be stored on the optical articles, such as feature films, advertisements, audio or video trailers, and others.
Shoplifting is a major problem for retail venues. Relatively small objects, such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common targets as they can be easily hidden and carried out of the retail stores without being noticed. Retailers incur monetary losses because of such instances.
Consumer products may be equipped with theft-deterrent packaging. For example, clothing, CDs, audiotapes, DVDs and other high-value items are occasionally packaged along with tags that set off an alarm if the item is removed from the store without being purchased. These tags are engineered to detect and alert for shoplifting. For example, tags commonly used to secure against shoplifting are the Sensormatic® electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags based on acousto-magnetic technology. RFID tags are also employed to trace the items on store shelves and warehouses. Other theft-deterrent technologies currently used for optical discs include hub caps for DVD cases that lock down the disc and prevent it from being removed from the packaging until it is purchased, and “keepers” that attach to the outside of the DVD case packaging to prevent the opening of the package until it is purchased. In some cases, retailers have resorted to storing merchandise in locked glass display cases. In other stores, the DVD cases on the shelves are empty, and the buyer receives the actual disc only when purchased. Many of these approaches are not appealing because they add an additional inconvenience to the buyer or retailer, or they are not as effective at preventing theft as desired. Optical storage media, in particular, pose an additional problem in that their packaging and the sensor or anti-theft tags may be easily removed.